Google Joins "IP for Smart Objects" (IPSO) Alliance

Google has joined the IPSO Alliance, a group of technology companies with the common goal of promoting the Internet Protocol for smart object communications, allowing items ranging from appliances to factories to cars to "communicate" as individuals do over the Internet.


The IPSO Alliance supports the technical standards being developed by the IETF and IEEE. The alliance performs interoperability tests, documents the use of new IP-based technologies, conducts marketing activities and serves as an information repository for users seeking to understand the role of IP in networks of physical objects. The group was formed one year ago.


Smart objects are defined as things in the physical world that - typically with the help of embedded devices - transmit information about their condition or environment (e.g., temperature, light, motion, health status) to locations where the information can be analyzed, correlated with other data and acted upon. Applications range from automated and energy-efficient homes and office buildings, factory equipment maintenance and asset tracking to hospital patient monitoring and safety and compliance assurance.


The IPSO alliance now boasts 53 member companies, including Bosch, Cisco, Ericsson, Intel, SAP, Sun Microsystems and Texas Instruments.
http://www.ipso-alliance.org